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Playwright: Welcome Msomi PHOTO: Mamodima Monnakgotla

 The retail part will showcase clothing and crafts which will all undergo very stringent quality control 

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PLAYWRIGHT, director, choreographer, producer and business executive Welcome Msomi, speaking at the Maritime Industry Conference in Cape Town, has revealed what will be a music lover's paradise.

The three-day conference - hosted by the SA Marine Safety Agency - was held at the city's International Convention Centre from July 4 to 6 to discuss and network ideas on how to improve the unrecognised maritime sector in South Africa.

Music City will be exactly that. Like a theme park, except one that accommodates music and all its fans.

"Looking at Disney World we thought why not make music a driver where you have an area with something like a raggae, jazz and rock-and-roll boulevard. All day, all night, with hotels and restaurants for each genre-themed avenue," Msomi said.

Started by entertainment and hospitality specialist Tony Watkins, Msomi said Music City was created to highlight the importance of music.

The three countries that will be home to music cities include the US, SA and South Korea.

The first phase will take about two years to be complete and will be in Durban at a cost of R1.4-billion.

"I chose Durban because it's my home-town. This will make it easy to market, because people there know me," Msomi said.

A plan to open the city in other countries remains an option for the future.

Visitors will experience sea views, submarine rides with underwater hotels and restaurants. A 17-seater amphitheatre and a technologically advanced imax theatre with a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection. The viewer will be brought closer and experience the sea like never before.

This will include edutainment mostly for young schoolchildren.

The amphitheatre will host various festivals from Indian to African to Jewish, including combinations of local and overseas artists.

Economically, Msomi said, benefits will come from the things that local people manufacture.

"The retail part will showcase clothing and crafts which will all undergo very stringent quality control," he said.

"We do not want visitors thinking this is charitable and they have to buy something simply because it's South African."

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Thu May 23 06:02:41 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 9, 2012

MommaC

"underwater hotels and restaurants."

I saw that movie. It didn't end well
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Jul 9, 2012

CheeseBoy

eh Sowetan why did you pull off that brother kills brother for R200.00 story?

you should be ashamed of yourselves. really.
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Jul 9, 2012

Limpopoist

@ CheeseBoy

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Man-killed-in-fight-over-booze-money-20120709
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Jul 9, 2012

Pointman

I hope they succeed. The private sector with initiatives like these will create lasting jobs and opportunities - not inefficient nationalised industries and subsidies. We have entrepreneurs in this country - we just need a government that provides the proper security for investments and right environment like tax laws and justice to make our society to succeed. We do not need public sector leeches bleeding us dry - how many stories of corruption is there in Sowetan today?
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